January 2004 — Applications
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Interactive Whiteboard System Creates 'Active Classrooms' for Rural Georgia School System
Our students live in a multimedia world. However, the technology that students enjoy in their lives outside of school makes it more difficult for teachers to capture their attention in the classroom with "old-fashioned" tools such as chalkboards, whiteboards and overhead projectors. In order to catch and keep students' attention, while improving student learning in the process, our district needed new and exciting technology to infuse into the curriculum.
The Thomaston-Upson County System (www.upson.k12.ga.us) in rural Georgia has more than 5,000 students enrolled at three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Although we had tried an array of technologies in the past, we had not yet found one that worked equally well for both teachers and students in the classroom. The problem with most technologies seemed to be the technology itself. While some technologies had a steep learning curve, others were difficult for teachers to integrate into their classroom instruction. In addition, other technologies failed to interest teachers and students once their initial excitement wore off.
Improving Traditional Teaching Methods
After trying several programs, we realized that the most important factor in improving student achievement was teacher instruction. So, in 2001, we initiated a plan to research new tools to assist teachers in improving upon more traditional methods of teaching; as a result, we decided to try an interactive whiteboard. Our instructional technology staff first saw a demonstration for a new product called the ACTIVboard Collaborative Classroom System from Promethean Corp. at an educational conference in 2002. The system includes the ACTIVboard interactive whiteboard; ACTIVstudio software, which offers teachers a library of image, background and annotation resources; ACTIVslate, an accessory that promotes real-time interaction by allowing teachers and students to direct and control the whiteboard from anywhere in the room; and ACTIVote, a wireless student peripheral that provides teachers with instant feedback from students.
The ACTIVstudio software, which transforms computers and projectors into highly interactive teaching, collaboration and presentation tools, really sold us on the product. It allows computer images from any software program or Web site to be projected onto a whiteboard where teachers and students can access, control and manipulate the program via the board's touch-sensitive surface. With the software, teachers can annotate in electronic ink over any PC application, Web page or image. They can also use the software's flip-chart feature in place of traditional whiteboards and chalkboards. In addition, teachers can save lessons, flip charts and notes to a disc.
Opening the Door to New Possibilities
Our original plan was to purchase one ACTIVboard system for each of the district's five schools. However, that plan quickly escalated to seven portable boards per school, and then to the current plan for one board permanently mounted in every classroom along with a Mitsubishi XGA projector mounted to the ceiling. In addition, each classroom's computer, cable TV, DVD player and VCR were run through the projector and onto the ACTIVboard, which put all of the technologies at the teachers' fingertips. We also saw the benefit of the collaborative effect of the system, which led us to purchase one ACTIVslate for each classroom and two sets of the ACTIVote wireless peripherals per grade level to be shared by adjacent classes.
